What Really Happens Under The Stadium Lights?

The sun hasn’t quite set, and still the lights of the Mineral King Bowl strike in an attempt to illuminate every movement of the game ahead.

 Students and parents take their places in the stands, ready to watch helmets clash, touchdowns scored, and their very own players bringing home the win. The captivating view of the football team taking their places on the field. The players and crowd rushed with adrenaline at the sight of the opposing team preparing across the green. 

Everyone wants to see the quarterback make that impressive throw, and the wide receivers make the game winning touchdown, but what about the rest of the players who are just as deserving of the spotlight?

With a combined weight of 1402 pounds, Redwood’s Varsity Football team has an unbelievable offensive line that is hidden in the shadows but plays a very important part in the game. 

The offensive line usually consists of 5 players. These positions include Left Tackle, Left Guard, Center, Right Guard and Right Tackle. Our players commonly rearrange positions based on what play is needed, while also making substitutions in case of player injury. 

BJ Wainwright, ’24, is an important piece of the offensive line. Wainwright is a busy guy on the field, he says, “I actually play multiple positions, it just kind of depends on what we need.” He says that he is most commonly at Right Guard or Right Tackle. 

Wainwright highlights that a lineman has two main jobs, pass blocking and run blocking. He says, “We have to make sure our quarterback has time to set and throw the ball so our receivers can make a good catch and score.”

The importance of an offensive line is crucial. Wainwright says, “You can have a lot of really good skill position players but if you don’t have an offensive line then you can’t use those guys.”

Right Guard, Jordan Nguyen, ’24, shares that it is important that he protects the quarterback and clears up lanes for running backs to get through. He says, “We all have to come together and block for that quarterback.”

As inspiration Nguyen says, “We just gotta keep driving all the way up that field.”

Cristian Carlos, ’25, usually plays left tackle. Carlos, says that his position’s job is to block for the quarterback while also blocking for the running backs. He says, “If we all work together we are able to work as a unit and push players back for better opportunities for touchdowns.”

Carlos says, “The offensive line is underappreciated but we do a lot of dirty work to help the team be successful.”

Marty Perez, ’24, is another key player on the offensive line. Perez can be found as either left tackle or center. At left tackle Perez says, “The main job is to protect the quarterback’s blind side.” 

Teamwork is vital to the O line’s ethic. Perez says, “You can’t really do anything as a team without the establishment of an offensive line. My favorite thing to say is that it is not 5 different guys, we are all one that is working together.” 

“The hardest part of it is putting in the most work but not getting enough glory but that is also the beauty of it,” says Perez.

Samuel Ortega, ’26, is a left guard for the team, he loves the physical aspects of his work. “The guards usually have pull plays which means we come out of our position and we run somewhere else so that means we hit really hard and block really hard.”

Ortega adds, “It’s not just the O line, it is all linemen. You can’t play football without linemen.”

“A lot of people say that the offensive line is more boring but in reality it is so fun working together and getting those yards in it is just an amazing experience.”

Hunter Pruitt, ’24, is routinely a left guard or center. Pruitt says, “I think the O line is the most important on the field because if you have a bad O line then your quarterback can’t succeed, your running backs can’t succeed and your quarterback can’t throw to your wide receivers.”

Pruitt notes that the offensive line is greatly based on teamwork. He says, “We play a lot better if everyone is on the same page.”

Redwood Football’s Varsity Team Head Coach, Mr. Scharton, mentions that his linemen start their training in January to prepare for the season ahead of them. “They do off-season workouts so we are trying to put bulk on them, trying to get them stronger and faster.” 

Coach Scharton adds that once summer training is finished, the players come into the season ready to go and begin to learn their plays.

He says, “The play’s are really difficult. People think that football players are dumb but you can’t be dumb and play on the offensive line. You have to know all of the plays and all of the footwork.”

Coach Scharton ends by saying, “If they don’t block well, we don’t play well.”

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